your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. once again, live in washington, moderator gwen ifill. gwen: good evening. the u.s. economy is a puzzling thing. today it added 157,000 jobs but the unemployment rate kicked up to 7.9%. also today the dow industrial average closed above 14,000 for the first time in five years, yet the government reported this week that the economy contracted in the fourth quarter of last year for the first time since 2009. so as congress agrees to delay a showdown over the debt ceiling and faces a march 1 deadline for across the board spending cuts, what to make of this darned economy, david? >> am i supposed to answer that? it is confusing. the stock market is up. employers are hiring, very slowly. the government now tells us that hey -- they hired a lot more last year than previously believed. auto seafls are up 14% from last year. housing sales are coming back. on the other hand the economy took a pause at the end of last year? unemployment is very high, 7.9%. among men between 25 and 54 one out of six is not working. so i think when you cut thr

for public broadcasting and by contribution to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. once again, live from washington, sitting in for gwen ifill this week, john dickerson of "slate magazine" and cbs news john: good evening, this week, president obama gave the first state-of-the-union address of his second term. it was packed with almost 30 different policy proposals, some, like immigration reform, were familiar. others, like his call for expanding preschool and rating colleges, were new. it was a robust vision for a president engaged in hand-to-hand combat congressional republicans over the basic exchanges of government. still, the president said the country could afford all of it. >> nothing i'm proposing tonight should increase our deficit by a single dime. it is not a bigger government we need, but a smarter government that sets priorities and invests in broad-based growth. john: , so, karen, if bill clinton kind the famous phrase that the era of big government over, did president obama launch the era of smart government? >> that's going to depend on what side of

newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation. dedicated to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy, productive life. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: another defiant act by north korea today. the nation carried out its third nuclear test, triggering new fears and a global outcry. the announcement blared forth on north korean state television. >> main purpose of this nuclear test is to show the resentment of our people and army of the united states' hostile actions that are no better than robbery. our nuclear test is a fair self-defensive action which does not contravene any international law. >> brown: the underground blast took place at a remote location in the north eastern part of the country. it was the communist reg

program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: the federal government moved another day closer today to $85 billion in automatic spending cuts. and as political charges and counter-charges flew, federal reserve chief ben bernanke raised new fears about the potential economic fallout. the fed chairman told a senate committee that forcing across-the-board spending cuts could slice half a percentage point off economic growth. >> i think an appropriate balance would be to introduce these cuts more gradually and to compensate with larger and more sustained cuts in the longer run to address our long-run fiscal issues. >> ifill: bernanke said the sequester was supposed to be a doomsday weapon designed to spur compromise. >> it was done to be sort of like dr. strangelove, you know, the bomb that goes off. so obviously if you can find a way to, you know, in a bipartisan way to make it more effective and better prioritized, that would be a good thing. >> ifill: instead the spending cuts co

tonight's newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> bnsf railway. >> pporalso comes from carnegie corporation of new york, a foundation created to do what andrew carnegie called "real and permanent good." celebrating 100 years of philanthropy at carnegie.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and friends of the newshour. and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: it looked like a scene from a movie, but it was all too real. a meteor came crashing down to earth today, triggered a fireball over russia, and sent people running for cover. parts of the meteor fell on the city of chelyabinsk-- population over a million-- about a thousand miles due west of moscow on the edge of the ural mountains. the strike shocked and stunned the world. more than 1,000 people were injured. paul davies of independent television news begins our coverage. >> rorter: emerging from the russian sky, a giant ball

contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: it looked like a scene from a movie, but it was all too real. a meteor came crashing down to earth today, triggered a fireball over russia, and sent people running for cover. parts of the meteor fell on the city of chelyabinsk-- population over a million-- about a thousand miles due west of moscow on the edge of the ural mountains. the strike shocked and stunned the world. more than 1,000 people were injured. paul davies of independent television news begins our coverage. >> reporter: emerging from the russian sky, a giant ball of flame, a meteorite providing a spectacular show until it suddenly explodes 30 miles above the earth. the city of chelyabinsk was unlucky to be beneath the meteorites flight path and was showered with debris dropping from the sky. thousands of windows were smashed, shocked workers evacuated their offices. this school class is about to be interrupted by the shock wave. here the windows come crashing in, and a national judo squad runs for cover. canadian ice hockey star michael garnett pl

ahead on tonight's "newshour." >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: former u.s. senator chuck hagel faced a hostile reception today from half of the committee that must sign off before he can become secretary of defense. his senate confirmation hearing centered heavily on criticism from his one-time republican colleagues. the atmosphere was friendly enough at the outset as chuck hagel began his big day before the armed services committee. he quickly sought to allay concerns on both sides about his positions on everything from iran to israel to nuclear weapons. >> no one individual vote, no one individual

conversation with gloria steinem about the women's movement and the pbs documentary, "makers: women who make america." >> we have realized that a majority of americans fully agree that women can do what men can do but we haven't yet realized that men can do what women do. >> ifill: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation. dedicated to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy, productive life. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: the federal government moved another day closer today to $85 billion in automatic spending cuts. and as political charges and counter-charges flew, federal reserve chief ben bernanke raised new fears about the potential economic fallout. the fed chairman told a se

used for a possible pbs documentary. the report says that they signed an agreement with arlington schools. the documentary called "after newtown" they will look at how to stop school shootings before they happen. the footage shows teens running through hallway. >> an elderly man is dead and police are searching for his kill perp the 68-year-old was found unconscious in his home last night. he was stabbed and detectives are offering a $25,000 reward to any information that leads to his killer. >> a firefighter recovering from burns from battling a fire in bowie. they found flames shooting from the second floor. no word on what caused the fire. >> we're going to turn to weather now. after a day of flurries that didn't stick around it is going to be a cold night. >> let's go and look at the forecast with steve. >> we have light snow out there right now that will take taper up to flurries. take a look at the radar from the bell forth weather center. most of the activity is to the north of d.c. hugging the i-270 corridor. our skies will clear as our temperatures begin to fall. no probl

testimony was so bad you had it panned on pbs. new york times "washington post". senator mckaskill in trying to defend him said weflz better at asking questions than answering them. he was a senator of some kind. we are asking him to be the department of defense to be the architect of our defense strategy. if he can't handle tough questions from senators how is he going to handle a crisis. i disagree with my colleague debbie dingell. the fact that he was incapable of answering them says a lot about his ability and capacity to do the job. >> i am unclear on what i theys the responsibility will be senator hagel should he pass these confirmation hearings and be confirmed as secretary of defense. he went on to say in these hours of testimony i think it was 8 in all. he said i won't be in a policy making position. then he went on to say it doesn't matter what i think. as secretary of defense if he is confirmed does he matter what he thinks? >> i agree he never thought his words possible parsed so much so. that's what we do to anybody who sticks their hands up and saying i blaef in serving my coun

more of phyllis's story, visit lyrica.com. >>> tonight, pbs will debut the groundbreaking women's stories assembled on video. the makers documentary tells the stories of 160 women who have helped shape america through the women movement, including the 19 1960 protest. >> we did have a sense of humor and we had outrageousness. >> we had a freedom trash can through which we called object of women's oppression, like brooms and dust pans and curlers and high-heeled shoes and girdles. >> joining me a author and activist. what a pleasure to have you both here. >> good to be here. >> a lot of people have called this the birth of the women's movement. >> i know. >> where are we and how has it changed? >> well, we are huge and it's worldwide and it's passionate and sophisticated and it's changed lives in a way that i think sometimes younger women don't fully -- can't fully grasp because we're an ahistoric country here. for example, when i got married, i was a published writer so i used my own name and i was shocked to discover that i couldn't use my driver's license. i couldn't get a savin

floyd. the shootings at sandy hook have sparked a new national dialogue about guns. pbs has dedicated much of this week's programming to exploring the alarming rise of gun violence around the country and

tonight's "newshour." >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: two major airlines announced a marriage of sorts, on this valentine's day. their combination means the field of major u.s. carriers will shrink by one. these jetliners-- sporting shiny new paint jobs-- are among the roughly 900 planes in the american airlines fleet and they're about to be joined by the 622 planes currently flying for u.s. airways. the price tag for the deal: $11 billion. creditors of american's bankrupt parent company a.m.r. will own 72% of the combined airline. the merger affects some 187 million passengers who fly the two airlines annu

funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: fresh from addressing the nation, president obama opened a new campaign today to sell his second-term economic plan. in turn, republicans dismissed most of his ideas as the failed policies of the past. the president flew south today, going directly to voters with his ideas for creating jobs and boosting the middle class. the post state of the union tour began in asheville, north carolina, at a plant that makes heavy-duty engines. he picked up where he had left off with his message the night before. >> our job as americans is to restore that basic bargain that says if you work hard, if you're willing to meet your responsibilities, you can get ahead. ( applause ) you can get ahead. doesn't matter what you look like, doesn't matter where you come from. r mile class, en it's growing, whent's thriving,

to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: two major airlines announced a marriage of sorts, on this valentine's day. their combination means the field of major u.s. carriers will shrink by one. these jetliners-- sporting shiny new paint jobs-- are among the roughly 900 planes in the american airlines fleet and they're about to be joined by the 622 planes currently flying for u.s. airways. the price tag for the deal: $11 billion. creditors of american's bankrupt parent company a.m.r. will own 72% of the combined airline. the merger affects some 187 million passengers who fly the two airlines annually. >> i grew up on u.s. airways. >> brown: as well as more than 100,000 employees. >> our best goal going forward is to make it the biggest, strongest airline in the country, and i suppose that's about to happen. >> brown: the combined company will keep the american name and headquarters in fort worth, texas. but it is u.s. airways c.e.o. doug parker who will run it. his counterpart-- tom horton at american-- will serve as chairman, but bow out after the transiti

, and welcome to this "pbs newshour" special coverage of president obama's "state of the union" address. we want you to know this program is also being livestreamed on our home page on the web. in just a few moments, the president will spell out his policy agenda for the start of his second term. he is expected tonight to focus mainly on jobs and the economy, and to highlight other domestic priorities including gun control and immigration reform, but also to touch on international challenges. here with me, as they will be throughout our coverage tonight, are syndicated columnist mark shields and "new york times" columnist david brooks. mark, what is different about a state of the union when it's the first one of a second term? >> you don't have that many more to look forward to? the sand is running out of the glass. this is probably the best shot that most presidents have in their second term is that first year-and-a-half before you get into congressional elections and the lame duckness really sets in. the race to succeed him begins while he's just sitting there. so this is important. t

: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> bnsf railway. >> support also comes from carnegie corporation of new york, a foundation created to do what andrew carnegie called "real and permanent good." celebrating 100 years of philanthropy at carnegie.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and friends of the newshour. and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: for the second time in five months, a u.s. diplomatic post has been the target of a deadly assault. a suicide bomber detonated a vest with explosives outside the u.s. embassy in ankara, turkey, today, killing himself and a security guard. the white house described it as a terrorist attack. the explosion occurred around 1:15 p.m. local time. afterward, police tried to hold back the crowd gathered outside the u.s. facility in the turkish capital. debris littered the street near a side entrance where the blast

seconds in these pbs videos. gates was also named a regent professor. making him just the sixth person to receive that honor since it was established in 1992. >> congrats to him. he's really, really smart. >> yeah. >> string theory in 30 seconds. you lost me. >> right there, i got lost. >>> 4:51 is our time right now. we turn to our resident scientist, tom kierein. >> good morning. people are pining for snow. snow lovers have just had the crying towel out all winter. well, we're going to get a little bit this morning. not a lot. but enough maybe for a light coating as we take a look outside. live view from the nbc4 city camera. showing low clouds, maybe a few scattered flurries in washington. 36 at reagan national. road temperatures around the area are generally a little above freezing. any snow that does fall generally going to be melting on roads. a lot of them been treated too. a look at the radar. it's increasing a little bit here. these are scattered snow showers. they come and go. maybe you'll get snow. will stop for a while. maybe it will snow a little bit, stop for a while. on

: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> bnsf railway. >> support also comes from carnegie corporation of new york a foundation created to do what andrew carnegie called "real and permanent good." celebrating 100 years of philanthropy at carnegie.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and friends of the newshour. and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: for the second time in five months, a u.s. diplomatic post has been the target of a deadly assault. a suicide bomber detonated a vest with explosives outside the u.s. embassy in ankara, turkey, today, killing himself and a security guard. the white house described it as a terrorist attack. the explosion occurred around 1:15 p.m. local time. afterward, police tried to hold back the crowd gathered outside the u.s. facility in the turkish capital. debris littered the street near a side entrance where the blast t